Plants in the Hortus
Many of the plants described here were listed in the catalogues of plants published by Sir William Macarthur in 1843, 1845, 1850 and 1857 and in an unpublished catalogue dated 1861. A large number of additional plants were identified from correspondence, gardening notebooks and other documents surviving in the archives. The Hortus attempts to describe all the plants grown in the gardens at Camden Park and those grown in horticultural enterprises such as orchards and vineyards and includes plants grown outside the gardens in the park-like environs of the Camden Park estate. The Hortus plants served a wide range of purposes in the 19th century household; as ornament, living fences, fibre, dyestuffs, medicines, food and drink from the garden, orchard and vineyard and many others.
Dianthus caryophyllus Elliot’s ‘Rainbow’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Elliot’s ‘Rainbow’ is a crimson bizarre. [Gard. Chron. 1850]. Cartwright’s ‘Rainbow’, also a crimson bizarre had ‘fine large flowers’ [FC p.254/1842], ‘a good flower, bright in colour, but rather hard to grow well.’ [British Florist p.217/1844].
Dianthus caryophyllus Ely’s ‘Duke of Bedford’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Ely’s ‘Duke of Bedford’ is a crimson bizarre carnation. ‘A beautifully marked flower; white pure and shape good.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843]. ‘Well formed flowers, not large, but clean, and well filled with colour.’ [FC p.254/1842].
Dianthus caryophyllus Ely’s ‘John Wright’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Ely’s ‘John Wright’ is a purple flake carnation. ‘A noble flower, as large and deeper in colour than ‘Beauty of Woodhouse’, but not so consistent.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843].
Dianthus caryophyllus Ely’s ‘Lord Milton’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Ely’s ‘Lord Milton’ is a crimson bizarre carnation. ‘Petals large and well formed, crown fine, colours very distinct.’ [Gard. Chron. 1842]. ‘A great favourite; form good; colour high and well distributed; extremely apt to run, but, when in colour, first rate.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843]. ‘Well formed flowers, not large, but clean, and well filled with colour.’ [FC p.254/1842].
Dianthus caryophyllus Ely’s ‘Lord Wellington’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. A Florists’ Carnation, but I have found no description of Ely’s ‘Lord Wellington’.
Dianthus caryophyllus Fletcher’s ‘Queen of England’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Fletcher’s ‘Queen of England’ is a rose flake carnation. ‘A superb variety, highly coloured, large, and of good shape. I grew it for the first time last season, and certainly it was equal to any which I had in my collection.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843].
Dianthus caryophyllus Giddens’ ‘Vespasian’
For generic information on the garden Carnation and Picotee see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Giddens’ ‘Vespasian’ is a light edged purple picotee, probably introduced in 1841. [Gard. Chron. 1841]. ‘Delicate light-edged purple, petals very fine and well formed, edging very regular.’ [Gard. Chron. 1842]. ‘A delicate and finely-formed flower, requiring very little dressing; the feathering is nest and distinct; one of the best in its class.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843]. ‘Comparatively an old flower, but indispensable to a collection, and it is not easily “shaken off” at an exhibition; its marking is delicate and regular, and is generally esteemed first rate.’ [Gard. Chron. 1846]. ‘Light-edged, purple picotee: pod very good; petals very fine and well formed; ground pure; edging very delicate and regular. This is a first-rate flower of its class when well grown.’ [FC p.79/1849]. ‘Another most excellent flower, deserving of a place in the smallest collection, possessing nearly every property of a first rate flower.’ [BF p.220/1844].
Dianthus caryophyllus Iron’s ‘Victoria’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Iron’s ‘Victoria’, also called ‘Queen Victoria’, is a rose flake carnation. ‘Good pod and petals, flower small, good colours, and excellent marker.’ [FC p.33/1843]. This journal had previously described Hyron’s ‘Victoria’ as a ‘rose flake, very fine flowers, both in size, colour and form.’ it is possibly the same plant. [FC p.254/1842].
Dianthus caryophyllus Johns’ ‘Prince Albert’
For generic information on the garden Carnation and Picotee see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Johns’ ‘Prince Albert’ is a ‘heavy-edged, purple picotee: pod good, petals fine and well shaped; ground very pure; edging good and well defined. This flower being rather inclined to grow small, the number of flower pods ought to be reduced to a very few, say two or three.’ [FC p.78/1849].
Dianthus caryophyllus L.
The plant referred to here is most likely the popular plant that has been in cultivation for centuries, known as the ‘Clove pink’, ‘Carnation’ or ‘Border Carnation’. ‘Dianthus caryophyllus is considered the source whence have sprung the numerous varieties of the Carnation and the Picotee.’ [Don]. The parentage is obscure, but certainly includes Dianthus caryophyllus with D. chinensis and possibly others, depending on type and form. Half-hardy to fully-hardy, very variable perennial with characteristic lance-shaped leaves and mounded to spreading habit. The flowers, in a wide range of form and colour, are born mainly in the summer. Numerous garden cultivars exist. To 1.5m by 40cm. [RHSE, Hortus]. Picotee is a division of the Florists’ Carnation, considered separately in the Hortus because this division is further sub-divided to complicate things and there are a large number of Picotees in the record. ‘In the Florists’ Magazine for 1836 there is a concise statement upon the rules governing the Carnation. It is divided, we are told, into three sections: Flakes, Bizarres, and Picotees. Flakes have, generally, one colour on a white ground; and that colour is scarlet, purple, rose or pink. Bizarres have two colours on a white ground, and are called Scarlet or Crimson Bizarres, according to the most dominant of these two colours. The Bizarres are variegated in irregular spots or stripes. Piquettes, or Picotees, have a white ground, spotted or pounced with scarlet, red, purple, or other colours. The Picotees, it is confusing to read, are further divided into six distinct classes, red edged, maroon, chocolate, purple, rose, or scarlet edged, of each of these there being two divisions known as heavy and light edged.’ [Sitwell p.93]. See Dianthus caryophyllus L. var. Mathew’s ‘Ne Plus Ultra’ for further information on Victorian Picotees.
Dianthus caryophyllus Mansley’s ‘Robert Burns’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Crimson bizarre. ‘Petals well formed, crimson red, white pure, colour well divided. [Gard. Chron. 1842]. ‘A fine and double flower.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843]. ‘Good pod and well formed petals, large flower, excellent colour and marker. This variety took the first prize at the London floricultural exhibition this year.’ It was described as a pink bizarre. [FC p.276/1842].
Dianthus caryophyllus Mathew’s ‘Ne Plus Ultra’
For generic information on the garden Carnation and Picotee see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Mathew’s ‘Ne Plus Ultra’ is a red edged picotee. Introduced in 1849.
Dianthus caryophyllus Pearson’s ‘Enchanter’
For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Pearson’s ‘Enchanter’ is a rose flake carnation. ‘Guard leaves rather too large in proportion to the others; white good, crowns well, and the colour evenly distributed.’ [Gard. Chron. 1843].
Dianthus caryophyllus Picotee dark yellow
For generic information on the garden Carnation and Picotee see Dianthus caryophyllus L. See also Dianthus caryophyllus L. var. Barraud’s ‘Euphemia’.
Dianthus caryophyllus Puxley’s ‘Prince Albert’
A cultivar of Dianthus caryophyllus L. For generic information on the garden carnation see Dianthus caryophyllus L. Puxley’s ‘Prince Albert’ is a crimson bizarre carnation. ‘Good form, petals of fair substance, crimson very red, white pure, striping broad, colours well mixed.’ [Gard. Chron. 1842]. ‘Fine large flowers.’ FC p.254/1842]. ‘The scarlet and dark colours are rich, and upon a good white ground, fine form.’ [FC p.243/1848]. ‘Prince Albert’ is figured in the British Florist. [BF pl.19/1841]. ‘An uncertain flower, rather faint in colour, but large, and a desirable variety.’ [BF p.217/1844].
